The one-day conference will bring together approximately 100 immigration scholars and students from around the country. Its goal is to provide a venue for more sustained conversation among scholars and students of migration than is often possible at ASA; to help bridge the gap between scholarship, public policy, and the media in the field of immigration; and to facilitate networking and informal interactions among researchers at different career stages, with a particular emphasis on helping to connect students and junior faculty with more senior researchers.

About the Conference:

It is perhaps an understatement to say that immigration has become a “hot button” political issue. From the refugee crises in the Middle East and Europe, to the political turmoil swirling around immigration policy in the United States, questions related to the international movement of people are increasingly urgent at both the national and global levels. Now more than ever the need for the informed voices of scholars within debates about immigration policy and its effects is both imperative and crystal clear.

Within the larger field of immigration, the issue of refugees and asylum seekers have roiled both Europe and the United States. In spite of the prominence of these population flows, and the political conflict they engender, they remain understudied relative to economically motivated migrants. This is particularly problematic because forced migrants face unique challenges in terms of social and economic integration. As such, one of the main sub-themes of the conference will relate to research and policy related to meeting the challenges of refugee and asylum seeking populations in Europe and North America.

About The International Migration Section of the American Sociological Association:

The International Migration Section of the American Sociological Association provides a forum for sociologists interested in international mobility. Every four years the section organizes a one-day mini-conference on immigration the day before the start of the annual meeting. The core vision behind the conference is to provide a venue for a more sustained conversation among scholars and students of migration than is possible at ASA, and to facilitate interactions between researchers at different career stages. The conference is free to all IM section members, though advance registration is required. The last mini-conference, held in 2013 at The Graduate Center of CUNY, attracted more than 100 participants, and we expect a similar level of participation for the Philadelphia meeting.